Fourth annual Adirondack Plein Air Festival

Aug. 16 to 19 event will include roughly 50 artists painting outdoors

August 9, 2012

SARANAC LAKE - The fourth annual Adirondack Plein Air Festival will take place in Saranac Lake from Aug. 16 to 19.

Sponsored by Saranac Lake ArtWorks, roughly 50 artists are expected to participate in the festival. All media appropriate for plein air work is acceptable: watercolors, acrylics, pastels, oils and drawing media.

The challenge of plein air painting is to be able to use your skills to work outdoors, on location, and create a painting without the use of reference photos.

Usually they are completed in one sitting, with the goal of being able to spontaneously capture the particular light and atmospheric conditions of that day, but sometimes artists will touch up their works later.

Artists are encouraged to sign up in advance. Forms can be found at saranaclakeartworks.com/pleinair, the Adirondack Artists Guild, 52 Main St., Saranac Lake, and at the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce office at 193 River St in Saranac Lake.

There are three full days of painting and then a show and sale of works created at the event on Sunday, Aug. 19.

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Day 1

Aug. 16, is the "Paint the Town" event. Artists will be given a 5-inch-by-7-inch panels or paper and will be asked to create and donate the 5-inch-by-7-inch piece for a silent auction fundraiser to benefit Pendragon Theatre.

The auction will be set up in the Adirondack Artists Guild gallery at 4 p.m., remaining there through Saturday. They will be moved to the Harrietstown Town Hall on Sunday, for the Show and Sale, where the bidding will close at 3 p.m.. Aug. 16 is also a Third Thursday ArtWalk night. A post ArtWalk social gathering is being planned for the plein air artists that evening as well.

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Day 2

Aug. 17 will be the "Paint the VIC Day." All artists are invited to explore and paint along any of the various locations at the Paul Smith's College VIC or on the college campus.

There will be an exhibit opening that evening at the VIC of plein air paintings by local artists Sandra Hildreth and Nancy Brossard, followed by a musical performance.

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Day 3

Aug. 18 is "Paint the Adirondacks Day" -?artists may paint anywhere in the area but maps with suggested locations will be provided.

Spectators are welcome at any location to meet and talk with the artists and perhaps obtain a unique "piece" of the Adirondacks.

For the Show and Sale on Sunday, Aug. 19, artists will be asked to bring up to thre framed paintings to the town hall at 9 a.m. Nationally known plein air artist Ann Larsen will be the Juror of Awards. The Show and Sale will open to the public at noon and awards will be announced at 1 p.m. There is no charge for the Show and Sale.